As alot of you may already know the UFC announced the signing of top 10 middleweight Akiyama today. With some other recent aquisitions in the division such as Dennis Kang, and some heavier fighters making the move down like Bisping has done and Wandy will do; a once depleted division looks very strong to say the least!

Joe Silva now has a legit pool to draw from to give Silva competitive fights at middleweight, and I still believe he should really clean out the division before he moves up to battle the lions at 205. Marquardt has looked incredible since he lost his title shot and Maia's flawless bjj performances remind me of Royce dominating clueless opposition which is even more so impressive now that everyone in the game trains atleast some bjj. Both Marquardt and Maia have earned seperate title shots and I don't think the ufc should spoil one contender by pitting them against one another.

Henderson is coaching TUF against Bisping and the winner of that def will get a shot aswell. Yushin Okami has only lossed once in the ufc and has only been kept out of contention by injury so he is waiting on deck for his shot aswell. So you got Marquardt, Maia, Okami, and the Bisping/Henderson winner all waiting for title shots which in my opinion will be an extremley tough road for Silva to go through to retain his belt, he should stay at 185 and beat atleast this list before moving on!

On top of all those guys you also have upper tier guys like Akiyama, Belcher, Kang, Wandy, Palhares, Leben, Miller, Rosholt, Grove, Almedia, Cote, Sonnen, and a returning Loiseau to name a few looking for a nice win to give them a chance to be added to the list above for a crack at the gold. After years of being considered weak by many the ufc's mw division looks stronger than it's ever been and I personally can't wait for things to sort themselves out and look forward to some great scraps at 85 in 09!!

Wanderlei Silva is no longer the invincible monster that went 17 fights without a loss before his High Octane fight with Jackson, and I don't think fighting Jackson again is going to bring that man back.

I could not disagree more. I think after his complete thrashing of a guy everyone has top 10, some even top 5 (Jardine) Wandy is as confident as he's been in along time definitely since the streak you mention. He's finally adjusted to the move to the states as well as fighting in the octagon. If the old Wandy is ever coming back the time is RIGHT NOW!

In 2003 and 2004, Jackson was scared to stand and trade with Wanderlei Silva.  His striking was powerful but basic, and he wanted to get Silva down.  I do not believe that will be his strategy this time.  His game has evolved to the point where he relies almost exclusively on his boxing superiority and punching power; I'd be shocked if we see him shooting for takedowns unless he gets badly hurt.

Anytime a fighters been knocked out MULTIPLE TIMES from one opponent (especially as brutally ktfo rampage got twice!) It will ALWAYS be playing into the psyche of the twice defeated fighter, no matter how much they know they improved! As far as Rampage "shooting for take downs" everyone would be suprised to see that seeing as he rarely if ever shoots for take downs; he relies almost exclusively on greco roman type upper body throws and uses more raw power instead of your common singles and doubles.

If Jackson can keep Silva in check and turn it into a boxing match, he will tear Silva apart.

If they were wearing 12 oz gloves and fighting under unified boxing rules Jackson would probably win, but this is mma not boxing! Wandy has the luxary of using his vicious muay thai including elbows and knees which Rampage is all too familiar with! Also the'll be using 4 oz gloves. Even though Rampage throws the straighter punches and more technical combos, and Wandy tends to throw loopier and more reckless, it only takes one of those loopier punches on the chin for Rampage to go to bed early on the 27th!

Jackson's boxing in 2008 is a lot cleaner than Silva's; he has more powerful punches, a much better left hand, far superior head movement,  and the ability to put together advanced combinations that Silva doesn't even attempt.  If Silva can turn it into a reckless brawl, then the advantage is his, but even then it is still essentially a tossup.

I agree with all except the last sentence. It won't still be "essentially a tossup" because if it turns to a balls out brawl Wandy has the big advantage their!

Wanderlei Silva has history and the intangibles on his side, but Jackson has the stylistic advantage.

I'm not too sure about that. Wandy has better muay thai kicks,knees,elbows etc. Rampage has better techical boxing. I think they hit equally hard but Rampage is physically stronger. Rampage has better takedowns and td defense, but Wandy is a black belt under the nog brothers in bjj. Stylistically they match up close and each have their advantages and different weapons to finish one another, The deal breaker could be camps though. Although the wolfslair is a more than respectful gym with capable athletes Xtreme Couture is on another level. The quality of sparring partners is not even close and that's not debateable!  Neither is the fact of how advantageous it is to spar with the world champion in your weight class! Especially when the champ took the belt from the guy your training to fight!

In 2008, I do not believe that in a fight where both men will likely stand in front of each other and trade until the other goes down that Wanderlei Silva will survive longer than Rampage Jackson.  I am picking Rampage Jackson via KO, round 2.

I think there will be a feeling out process but at sometime Jackson will be baited into going toe to toe and banging it out with Wandy. Brawling with the best mma brawler of our generation will in-turn cost Rampage the fight! I say Rampage goes up on the cards but gets KOed brutally late in the second and..... Wandy gets the hat trick! This is front page worthy so reccomend it people Im yet to get front page love and xmas is my birthday!

Following a successful return to active competition at Adrenaline MMA's sophmore effort with an early second round stoppage of Thomas Denny Pat Miletich was very confident about his ability to still perform in combat sports. During an interview following his win when asked about who he would like to fight next Pat responded to the question as he did to his challenger in the fight, he pulled no punches. Pat said he would like to fight either Antonio Tarver or Winky Wright in a statement that most likely shocked many mysef included.

 I have nothing but the utmost respect for what Pat's accomplished as a fighter and as a trainer but I think he might be overextending himself with that statement. Granted Pat has compted proffesionally in boxing aswell as MMA and is more than competent in the sweet science but this is a little much. I remember an interview Pat was prasing Matt Hughes speaking of his improved boxing skills and Pat actually said Matt was finally getting the better of him sparring! Granted, he might have been just being nice and complimenting his guy but if Matt Hughes can even hold his own with Pat in boxing Tarver or Wright would absolutely destroy him! Most people don't understand that the best boxers in mma are just that the best boxers in mma! World class guys like Tarver and Wright's hands are LIGHT YEARS beyond the best mma has to offer when it pertains to strictly boxing. Don't get me wrong Im not saying either Tarver or Winky would stand a chance in a real fight with anyone in the UFC, I'm just saying when it comes to boxing there on another level. I'm not certain how seriously we should take his challenges and Im more than certain that neither of the bouts will ever come to fruition,but if they ever did Pat had better come out wearing pajamas, because he would certainly be going to sleep!

Source: MMAWEEKLY   

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Sanchez posted recently on his MySpace page saying, " I'm training hard and will be dropping down to fight at 155."

When reached for comment by MMAWeekly.com, Sanchez' manager Jeff Clark from NCFC Fight Management, confirmed that his fighter is healthy and recovered from a rib injury that kept him out of his last fight. But while he has made it no secret he has a desire to move to 155 pounds, the UFC has not offered him a fight currently and he would be open to a match-up at either lightweight or welterweight.

While there has been speculation of a rematch between Ken- Flo and Sherk for the interim LW crown if BJ were to beat GSP, this could make for perhaps a more intriguing rematch. Sure Diego has not proven anything at LW, but I would not be opposed to seeing him fight Kenny in a rematch of the TUF 1 finale if the title is vacant to crown the new champion.

 

source: http://sherdog.com/news/news/sylvia-aims-at-japan-ken-shamrock-15363

“I was supposed to fight Ken Shamrock December 20, but it’s been postponed to February now,” said Sylvia. “He’s a free agent. I was supposed to fight him in a small show called XP3 Promotions. I believe in Texas, but it’s postponed to February now.”

Monte Cox echoed Sylvia’s position that a bout with the 44-year-old Shamrock was in the works.

However, Melissa Ingram, director of media relations for Ken Shamrock Entertainment Inc., was hesitant to describe the fight as being in “preliminary negotiations.”

Shamrock’s manager Ron Donohoo told Sherdog.com on Monday that the bout was not under consideration.

“Our organization was approached some time ago about the prospect of Ken fighting Sylvia, but it was rejected,” Donohoo wrote in an email.

There's basically some confusion and miscommmunication or lack theof. Sylvia says not only that he wants to fight him but it's in the works! His justification for fighting by saying he's upset Shamrock was "highlighted over him" and he's a legend and a hall of famer seem pretty desperate and pathetic if you ask me. He has nothing at all to gain in KOing poor old Ken it won't add to his legacy if anything the impact would be negative! What is this guy thinking? Saying this bs as if he's not hated enough! It makes me glad Hughes and Pulver used to make him cry in the old mfs days, I actually felt bad for him when I first heard those stories now I see it was well deserved he really is a doushe bag!

via Sherdog

Current and former members of Brazil’s revered Chute Boxe Academy woke up on Tuesday to the news of trainer Osmar Dias’ untimely death.

According to Xicão Joly, a famous Brazilian announcer and close friend, Dias was shot three times while leaving the Chute Boxe Academy around 1 a.m. on Tuesday in Curitiba, Brazil. As a Chute Boxe instructor, Dias worked daily with some of the team’s best-known and most accomplished members, including Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Murilo "Ninja" Rua and, more recently, Fabricio Werdum and Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos.

http://sherdog.com/news/news/chute-boxe-trainer-dead-15124

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